What is The Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation symbolizes both freedom and political maneuvering. While the novel does acknowledge the significance of the Proclamation in freeing the slaves, the novel also emphasizes the idea that Lincoln used the decree to make slavery the principal issue in the Civil War (rather than, for example, states' rights versus federal supremacy) in order to tighten his hold on the moral high ground.